A Return to Childhood

I'm so incredibly lucky to have a job where I work with children. Seriously. Every child I meet seems to be more precious than the last, and their warm hugs just absolutely make my life so sweet. To be fair, I do have an imperative, immediate need to change my shirt after work most days... (Be creative; if you can imagine it, it's probably been wiped on my shirt at some point. I know, I know - ewwwwww) Still, children are such creators of true joy. Maybe it's because they're so honest, or maybe it's because they're so full of questions. Maybe it's because when I try to think back to my own early childhood, I find myself unable to sort out the memories. Family drama over the past few years has made it hard to filter out what I know now, and what I simply felt and experienced then. Intuitively, I know that my childhood was filled with happiness - long walks to the park, feeding ducks with my aunt, and lazy afternoons forcing my brother to play Barbies (sorry, Mattiekins!). Sometimes, I forget to remember all that happiness. Watching my students play today reminded me of just a few of the wonderful parts of childhood that I'd forgotten to remember.

Best parts of childhood I didn't realize I would miss:
1. Finger painting: Seriously, how did I just rediscover the amazingness of finger painting?? Mixing colors together into limitless swirls, feeling the paint just soak into your fingers. Pure bliss.
2. Naps: Now, I know that I certainly took these for granted when I was a kid. I was the kid who perpetually popped up from my nap spot to check and see if my mom was watching or if she was asleep yet. Inevitably, she knew that I wasn't sleeping, so she'd tell me to put my head back down .This would last for maybe 30 seconds, and then the cycle would repeat. These days, naps seem so comforting, but like a distant possibility in a heavily scheduled day.    
3. Animal crackers: No judging. There are few snacks more delicious than animal crackers - except cupcakes, of course!
4. Puzzles: I seem to recall that I hated puzzles when I was a kid. I think I wasn't very patient (anyone suprised by that?), and I got frustrated too easily - I just wanted to see what picture it made! Now, I think they're pretty fun stress relief!
5. Viewing hand washing as part of playtime: How many adults do you know of that think hand washing is delightful? Clearly, most adults try to finish up washing hands as quickly as possible and find any reason to skip a trip to the sink. And children? My pre-k kids are absolutely enamored with the idea of running to the sink any chance they get to wash their hands, and they want to wash their hands not just once, but two or three times. Precious.

There you have it, friends. Go out, and find a way to remember your childhood today!